Guy awoke to a white light shining in his eyes. Blinking a few times to get used to the light, Guy wondered where he was. Surveilling his surroundings he saw emptiness. It wasn't a lonely emptiness, instead it was inviting and comforting.
"I must be in Heaven." He thought to himself.
If that was true, he was shocked. He did not expect to find himself in the land of goodness and purity. But, he was. For as long he could remember all the good that he had attempted to do had been in vain because sooner or later he would have done another one of Vaisey's commands. Any good that was in him was soon washed away and tainted by all the bloodshed he had caused. In the distance a silhouette was approaching Guy. He couldn't quite make the figure out until the white mist like light cleared. As the light faded into the emptiness Guy saw who it was.
"Marian." he called barely in a whisper.
Marian smiled that smile Guy knew only too well. The smile he wished she had given him all the times he made living in the Castle bearable.
"Guy." she called out as she held out her hand.
Taking her hand in his, Guy followed Marian. She was leading him further into the light. Somehow he felt at home with Marian by his side. As they walked through the light the air seemed to be getting warmer.
"Where am I going?" Guy asked.
Marian did not speak. She kept leading him further into the light. Soon they stopped. In front of them, Guy could just make out a few outlines of the Holy Land. The last place he had seen Marian alive before he killed her. He somehow felt at ease even though guilt was running through his veins. This was his fault. If only he had done what she had asked him to do, if only he had killed the Sheriff Marian would still be alive. But, once again his greed for power clouded his judgment.
"What are we doing here?"
"This is where it all began. The guilt you are feeling, the pain is all here. You were a good man, Guy. You could have been a better one, but you let power control you."
"No."
"Yes, Guy. You let greed take over. A man who was ambitious took advantage and you followed because you had the same ambitions as he did."
"What else could I do? I had no one I could turn to. Nothing I could call my own."
"Oh, Guy. There were people who cared about you. Loved you for the one man you were inside."
"Who cared about me?"
"I cared about you."
"Really?" he chuckled.
"Yes. I cared about you. I've always cared about you."
As much as he wanted to believe her, Guy could not. Many times he had forgiven her, believed that she felt the same way as he did for her. Yet, time and time again she betrayed him. Used him to get what she wanted. Funny that. He knew only too well how it felt to be manipulative. Knew how it felt to use those who loved him for his own personal gains. He had done that with his sister.
"Why are you showing me this?" he asked turning to face her.
"To show you who you were before all this happened. Before you followed the Sheriff's
orders once again."
"What could I have done? If I hadn't done what he told me to, he would have punished me. Then what would I have left? I would have absolutely nothing. No chance of getting the wealth and status I deserve."
Marian turned to face him. She had that look in her. The look he had seen so many times whenever he did the Sheriff's bidding. The look of disapproval and disgust.
"Is that the only thing in the world?"
"No, it's not."
"See. You are a good man, Guy."
"Didn't last long, did it?"
Marian looked at him, wondering what he was talking about.
"Once again I let my ambitions override my true intentions. I hurt someone I loved to get what I wanted. I hurt you, Marian. I murdered you in cold blood because I was selfish. I was blinded by greed. What was love turned into obsession. I wanted you. I should of let you go. If I had truly loved you I would have let you go. But, I couldn't. I never meant to hurt you."
"I know." she replied placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you? Every time I tried to show you how I felt you laughed in my face. You told me you could never love me. You said that you would rather die than be with me. Your words cut through me, "
"Guy, forgive me I was blind myself. I could not see the truth of your actions. I never knew how much you cared about me. And now, I know you never meant to hurt me. But, I guess we were destined to be on different paths in life."
"I guess we were."
"But, you can still change all that. You can still be the good man you are, Guy."
"How? I have done many terrible things in the past, I cannot undo them."
"You may not be able to redo what has already been done, but you can learn to accept your mistakes. Learn to forgive like I have done to you. Learn to say 'I'm sorry', like I am."
"Why are you doing this, Marian? Why do you still care about me after what I did to you? You should not be sorry for me. I should be the one who is sorry."
"Guy, we all make mistakes including I. It is time to learn to admit those mistakes and that you were wrong. I never did give you the chance to show me the good in you. Even though I knew it was in you, I'd always thought you would never change. Could never change. But, I was wrong. You can still be a good man."
Guy laughed.
"What's funny?" Marian asked.
"You told me my last chance to be a good man was when you ordered me to kill the Sheriff. Look what happened then."
"What's done is done. All you can do now is accept the your wrongdoings and forgive yourself."
"How can I forgive myself? How can I forgive what I did to you?"
"Trust yourself."
"How?"
"Guy, I knew there was good in you when I was alive. I know there still good in you now. Let me help you the way I should have done a long time ago. You are not a killer. You are a kind man, Guy of Gisbourne."
"How can I be good? There is nothing left within me."
Marian took Guy's hand once again and led him away from the memory of the Holy Land. They continued heading further away. He was further away from where he first saw Marian again, and now she was guiding him again to another place. As they approached the second place, Guy saw the familiar surroundings of what remained of Gisbourne Manor. A sense of sorrow tugged at his heart. What was he doing here? The memory of the fire that took away not only his home but, parents as well was still raw in his mind. A fire that he had caused.
"Are you trying to make me feel more guilty? I already feel responsible." Guy said angrily.
More angrily then he would have like to. Marian flinched away at the tone of voice.
"I'm sorry."
"Isn't this where your relationship with your sister got strained?"
Marian was not trying to be rude or intrusive. She was never that. She cared about him and she was trying to help admit his mistakes. Guy bowed his down in shame and anguish.
"Guy?" she said softly.
"I'm sorry, Marian."
"You don't need to apologise."
"What do you mean? You are right. This is where my relationship with Isabella began to fall apart. This was the last time I saw her happy. The last time we were actually a family. Even though we had just lost our parents, we still had each other."
Marian smiled sweetly. It gave him comfort to see her smile and he smiled back. Marian was taken back,not in a horrified way, but a kind of surprised way. She had never seen Guy smile before. It suited him. He should smile more often.
"It is not me you should apologise to." she told him.
"Who then?"
"To her."
Marian gently turned him around. Appearing out of the light, Guy saw another figure approach. The distinct shape of the body and her long hazel brown hair told Guy who it was immediately. He turned back around to thank Marian for believing in him, but she was gone. And he would never see her again. He had lost her. Lost her like he always did.
"Guy?" Isabella's voice brought him back to the present.
"Isabella." He said softly.
